Language for Peace Forum
classroom environment
4 Pathways to a Culturally Responsive Classroom
Language and culture are often implicitly woven together in language classrooms and it’s easy to get caught up in teaching mainstream culture. But what does this do to learners’ own cultural identities and development, particularly for younger learners? Continue reading
Responsive Classrooms
A bit of a newcomer to the realm of education theory, philosophy and curriculum, as I continue doing research in those areas, I have found myself ‘discovering’ for the first time teaching styles that spark my imagination. Some philosophies are more realistic than others, and some work better for certain age groups over others. Since … Continue reading
Children’s Literature for Teaching Peace
I’ll admit it; I’m a book nerd. I studied English literature in college and grew up being read to and reading hundreds of books. Because of this, I know that I have been shaped by what I have read. It occurred to me recently that cultural stories and values are perpetuated in literature. This is … Continue reading
Storytelling for Peacebuilding
In my internet research wanderings, I came across an interesting, albeit a few year old blog post on the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation website. In the post, “Using Stories to Build Peace: An Experience of a Lifetime,” Edward Chinhanhu recounts his experience presenting at the Storytelling for Peacebuilding Workshop at the Royal Bafokeng Institute in Thailand in … Continue reading
Montessori’s 10 Ways to Promote Peace in Your Classroom
Montessori is a well-known name in the educational community for alternative schooling, and often includes themes of peace in its curriculum and educational theory. I appreciated the practicality of this list and the additional list of potentially helpful resources at the bottom as well. Continue reading
Dealing with “Adverse Childhood Experiences” in the Classroom
Many language teachers work with people who have experienced violent conflict. What can teachers do to help students who have experienced trauma? Jessica Lahey’s article in the Atlantic looks at adverse childhood experiences in U.S. elementary schools and gives some ideas for How Teachers Help Students Who’ve Survived Trauma. Continue reading
Learners Benefit from Creative Physical Spaces
A recent webinar in the US looked at transforming learning with physical spaces. Educators heard from various school districts that have experimented with changes in physical space to align with learning goals. Leaders in these districts “wanted to examine how to truly effect change in the district, and they decided part of that change had … Continue reading
Creating a Positive Mindset
Maurice Elias, a professor of psychology, posted some helpful tips for activities to kick off the semester at Helping students start the year with a positive mindset. Would you try any of these in your language classes?
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